Various musical instruments, such as guitars, incorporate strings that are struck or plucked to produce their sound. The sound quality of such instruments varies depending upon their construction and design. It is desirable, of course, to provide an instrument with the best possible sound quality.
One type of stringed instrument, for example, a "full-body" acoustic guitar, includes a hollow body which incorporates a sound board and an elongated neck which is attached to the body and extends away from it. The term "full-body" acoustic guitar when used herein means the relatively large-body standard acoustic guitar. The neck carries a finger board and includes a tensioning device at its free end to which one end of each of the strings is attached and which is used for adjusting the tension of the strings. A bridge assembly, which is mounted on the external surface of the sound board, includes a saddle over which the strings are trained and mounting brackets for attachment of the opposite ends of the strings.
The sound of a guitar is generated by the vibration of the strings. String vibration, in turn, is influenced by the vibration of the sound board, other components of the instrument body, and the air within the body (when the body is hollow).
The sound developed by a guitar can be amplified by means of a sound system. Such a sound system includes a transducer, such as a piezoelectric or magnetic device incorporated into the instrument, which converts mechanical energy generated by string vibration into an electrical signal. The electrical signal is transmitted to an audio system, where it is amplified and subsequently transmitted through speaker systems to be heard.
The full-body acoustic guitar has many resonances, the sum of which determines its voice or sound. Because of the full-body acoustic guitar's relatively large and flexible sound board, and the relatively large air cavity within its body, a full-body acoustic guitar has several strong, low frequency resonances. These low frequency resonances are particularly responsible for its excellent sound quality. As opposed to the full-body acoustic guitar, the modern amplified (electric) guitar has a different shape and is smaller than the acoustic guitar. The size and shape of the electric guitar are dictated, in part, by the desire to provide an instrument that is easier to handle than the acoustic guitar and to accommodate the design preference of musicians in response to audience appeal. Although some electric guitars have a hollow body and associated sound board, others have a "solid body" which includes one or more relatively small cavities formed therein of a size only large enough to house various electronic or mechanical components, and the like. Electric guitars do not generate the same low frequency resonances as the full-body acoustic guitar and, thus, do not provide the same desired sound quality as is provided by the acoustic guitar.
There is a need in the art for an electric guitar that provides a sound quality approaching that of a acoustic guitar and also for acoustic guitars with improved sound quality.